Power rankings: Mingo makes difference

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Each week, we'll rank the Tigers making the biggest contributions. With one week of games to choose from, we'll start with a big five and eventually build to a regular top 10. Here's who we like after LSU's 41-14 win over North Texas:

1. DE Barkevious Mingo: First, Les Miles called him the most improved player in August camp. Then, he wreaked havoc against the Mean Green with six tackles, one for loss, and always seemed to be disrupting plays in the backfield.

2. RB Kenny Hilliard: We knew he'd be a guy LSU could turn to for tough, inside yards. But at a svelte 230 pounds, Hilliard showed some nifty moves and a burst when he exploded through holes on runs of 60 and 38 yards en route to a game-high 141 yards on just 13 carries.